Sweet but uneven "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" comes up short
 | |
| Keira Knightley and Steve Carrell |
"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is an unsatisfying, oddlyl amusing look at lonely people trying to find love at the last minute, seemingly Earth's last minute. Directed by Lorene Scafaria (screenwriter for the fun "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist") in her feature debut, it's a rather bizarre mix of comedy and drama: the film's tone starts out rather depressing then turns into an overly sentimental tale of lost love. Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity's last days are at hand. When news breaks that a laser, sent to space to protect Earth from an asteroid impact has failed at its mission, Dodge (Steve Carrell) hits the road in search of his high school sweetheart, accompanied by Penny (Keira Knightley) As the respective journeys of Dodge and Penny converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks - if not the world's - brighten. "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is a sweet but sloppy tale that almost wins you over from the engagingly pensive turns of Carrell and Knightley and without them the movie would be much worse than it is. There are a handful of genuinely funny, touching moments, but by and large this is a flavorless tale that's as memorable as a can of Tab. Scafaria's debut as a director shows in the inability to effectively stage scenes, not to mention a big emotional payoff; yet the fact that "Seeking a Friend" has enough caring moments that it isn't a total failure means that she has a future behind the camera. "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" has a handful of sweet moments, but you won't remember much after it all ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment